I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. Clare Mackintosh writes about Wales and her descriptive phrases bring the aromas and surroundings right to the reader. The characters are so flawed and realistic they jump off the page. There are always twists and turns and the story never disappoints. This one has a limited group to consider. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy mysteries with so many possible villains it is tough to settle on the most likely choice.

Clare Mackintosh’s novels never disappoint and this was no exception! I love the new detective character that apparently we’ll be seeing again since this is listed as book 1 in a series.

While nothing can top I Let You Go in terms of shock value and perfectly executed twist, the mystery of The Last Party was excellently plotted and gripping. I was invested in all of the well developed characters/suspects living in the community and the story was so engaging it made the book hard to put down. I didn’t solve the crime before the reveal but now n hindsight you can see how the author laid out factual support for who committed the murder and why, so the solution didn’t feel out of nowhere or unbelievable. The detective is a fascinating new character and I can’t wait for her next case! Highly recommended this book!!!

Rhys Lloyd is a successful musician who recently developed an elite vacation retreat near his rural, poor hometown in Wales but when Rhys if found dead on New Years Day, the reader will quickly realize that Rhys was not the person he claimed to be and many had reason to wish him dead!! In The Last Party, everyone from the local citizens to his family to the vacationers and even the local police investigator, DC Morgan, are suspects!!

The first part of The Last Party is like a carrot dangling in front of you and multiple times, you'll think you have reached the point where the story gets interesting but it is isn't until part 2 that things really pick up but if you can muddle through, it is well worth it!! With so many suspects, it's almost impossible to guess who the guilty party is and I promise there will be some jaw dropping moments!!

Synopsis: After a rowdy New Year’s Eve party, a body is found in Mirror Lake, which separates the local villagers from the wealthy resort owners of The Shore. Detectives from both jurisdictions are tasked with working together to solve the crime, bringing their own secrets with them.

Review: I have to say I really enjoyed reading this one. Thrillers often focus so much on the atmosphere and the mystery that the main characters get lost in the mix. This book, however, had a significant focus on the relationship and intriguing pasts of our lead detectives, which I loved. That’s not to say this book doesn’t also have some major faults. There were so many secondary characters who were weakly characterized (umm, the three identically shallow and rich wives for example), I actually stopped halfway through the book to re-read earlier chapters and try to figure out who was who. But I’m glad I did! Once I settled into the story I was completely absorbed, and my heart was literally pounding during the climax. There were also so many cool and clever stylistic things in this book (that, granted, could also be disorienting at times), such as the way the “past” timeline starts at the murder and works its way backwards and then forwards again, giving us the same scenes from a different character's perspective (neat!). Or the cliches/tropes that have you thinking you know exactly what’s going on, only to have your expectations subverted (fun!). The writer in me was definitely fangirling a bit. There’s lots to love, but you definitely have to pay attention. In fact, I still have a few unanswered questions I’ll be bringing to my book club!

Overall, a great main cast, a complex mystery, a wealth of secrets, but be prepared to flip back through pages to keep it all straight.

Gosh I don’t know why this wasn’t a hit for me. I really tried to get into it, but I just couldn’t. It started off nice, but then it fell flat. It could’ve also been that I was reading other books that grasped my attention more? I love this author and her previous books have been amazing and memorable.

I am a huge fan of this author and typically will purchase anything she puts out. However, this one fell short for me. I will still buy what she puts out was just disappointed in this book.

I really enjoyed the mystery and the setting in Wales. It seemed different than her earlier books I’ve read—more complete and less sensational. The issues like new developments in small coastal towns seemed topical and timely. The different points of view were all very distinct and actually informed a lot of the story.

On New Year's Eve, Rhys Lloyd is found dead in the freezing lake surrrounding his housing development, The Shores. Fion Morgan is a detective and part of the village in Wales by The Shores. She is working with the British police and might even be a suspect herself There is no shortage of suspects which just adds to the fun. There is a very colorful cast of characters. I just read a book that I felt had too many characters in the story but these all just flow into the narrative beautifully.

Clare Mackintosh always has a way of twisting things at just the right time and you will enjoy every bit of them. Well-written mystery with a great ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for a copy of this book for review.

So this was just too much back and forth for me. The story of the drowning of Rhys and what really happened to him just jumped around too much for me: from Years Eve to the summer before and back to the present and then back again, to the fall and from character to character.
Did not transition smoothly enough for me and as a result, the story seemed almost to be in disarray at times.
I liked Mackintosh's Hostage but just could not get in to this.

Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
DNF @ 33%. I can't get into the book, nothing is making sense and its just overall confusing. The welsh parts aren't explained well - the author just says something in Welsh and doesn't explain, too many characters.

Thank you.

From the beginning of this book, with its little twist that I loved, to the end, I could not stop reading/listening! I thought I had it figured out who did it but was wrong. A small village in Wales has a famous rock star build a group of condos on a beautiful peaceful lake upsetting the locals. (The lake is shared on the borders of Wales and England.) On New Year's Eve, they have an annual swim across the cold lake. Rock star Rhys Lloyd and his business partner Jonty throw a big party to celebrate. However, the next morning there is a dead body in the lake. Who is it? And the big question is who did it? Detectives Ffion Morgan (Wales) and Detective Leo Brady (England) are called in to solve this murder mystery when it seems everyone has a reason to murder this victim. I read this book while listening to the audio as the Welsh language and expressions used at times was helpful for getting the most from this story.

this book was far too long and boring for it to be a thriller. I used to really enjoy Mackintosh's books but the last few have been duds.

Thank you to NetGalley, Clare MacKintosh and Sourcebooks for my free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This author is one of my autobuy, don’t ask questions author but, I was actually pretty disappointed in this one. I didn’t connect with any of the characters or the place. I just felt kind of meh about the whole thing. I will recommend if you enjoy a slow burn type mystery.

I absolutely adored this procedural police drama mystery set in Wales! We follow two police detectives - one from England and one from Wales - as they try to solve this murder that occurred on Mirror Lake which happens to be on the border between England and Wales.

This story was filled with a plenitude of suspects - and I really had no clue who was responsible for the drowning of Rhys Lloyd. It played with timelines and went from the present back and forth with the past as we unraveled who really had a motive for murdering Rhys and discover that just about everyone in the small Welsh village had a reason to murder this man. He’s not good, y’all!

Also, the Welsh setting was picture perfect and made me want to book a flight to Wales like right now! I had the fortunate ability to also listen via the audiobook and the Welsh accents and words really made the entire book for me. I highly recommend the audio version along the the written version so you can feel like you’ve learned Welsh along with unraveling the mystery.

This is my first book by Claire Mackintosh and it will most certainly not be my last!

Oh my! Oh my! WOW!!

What a mystery this one was. I had so much trouble putting it down, even for the necessities of life.

When a local celebrity dies in the midst of a New Year’s Eve party, detectives from both the English and the Welsh side of the lake combine forces to unravel what really happened. Initially the suspects list is small, however, as the story unfolds we find that so many people had a reason to want him dead. Infidelity, extortion, and bad business dealings are just the tip of the iceberg.

Every time I thought I had this figured out, another twist blew in off the lake and spun my theory away with the breeze. I actually loved the fact that I was wrong at every turn. I felt the shivers of the freezing water during the New Year jump in the lake, and the fear and anger of most of the characters as their stories unfolded.

If you want to escape into a world of secrets, lies, privilege and teenage angst, you will not go wrong with us one. DON’T MISS IT!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book for a free and honest review.

I liked the characters, and if there's a second I'll read it. Lots to unpack with secondary characters which I hope continues in a next novel. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The whole small village is gathered together, for the local celebrity, Ryes Lloyd’s New Year’s Eve party!
By midnight someone will be dead, and every secret that every person in the small town has will have to come to light to solve this mystery.

I am a huge fan of this author, and I loved this book, the small town, the characters and this is one page turner you will not want to miss.

I enjoyed Clare Mackintosh's Hostage, and was excited to read this book! The book started slow and at first it was hard to keep the characters straight, but it picked up at the halfway mark. I thought the book was very dialogue-heavy and it took awhile to get into. Overall, a good mystery that is very engaging in the second half.

Thank you to the author, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for providing a copy to review!

The Last Party is a classic procedural, whodunnit-style mystery. It is set amongst the gorgeous, verdant backdrop of rural Wales. Our main characters are Ffion, a Welsh detective with plenty of shadowy secrets of her own, and Leo, an English detective who is motivated in his search for justice and the truth.

Ffion and Leo’s budding relationship is heartfelt and adorable. In many ways they are mirrors of each other, having more in common than either of them realizes. Leo wants nothing more than to have a relationship with his son, and Ffion’s situation is equally complicated. Ffion’s ‘don’t need no man’ cheeky attitude and snarky personality make for some hilarious banter between the two of them.

I enjoyed the investigative side of the story. The author has experience in police service and it really shows in how well this aspect of the plot is written. As someone with a degree in criminology, I appreciate the dedication to accuracy, as it makes the story feel all the more real. It makes for a more engaging environment and sequence of events when a book is researched so thoroughly.

The victim, Rhys Lloyd, is a cultural icon and has amassed quite the devoted fan base. But no one truly knows how deep his villainous streak really goes. And as the story progresses, we get to see just how perverse his character is. Everyone in this story is a suspect, and everyone has a motive for wanting Rhys dead.

The setting of the story is a strong point, with its small community atmosphere. There’s lots of clashing between the locals and who they deem to be outsiders. And there’s a strong push back against modernization and change. The animosity and judgemental stigmas between Welsh and English cultures creates tension throughout the story. And the overwhelming amounts of secrets and deceptions create drama between friends, family, and lovers.

The connections are deeply tangled and it weaves a twisted web of debauchery and ulterior motives. The plot is very slow-building, shifting between past and present. If I’m being honest, it was a little boring for the first half of the book and I felt a lack of connection to the story and the people in it. But it all comes crashing down in the end, with twists that are explosive and definitely nothing I was expecting.

I did find it a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters for the majority of the book. There are a lot of players in this story and I had a hard time piecing names and backstories together while reading. I also didn’t really feel attached to anyone for the majority of the story. But towards the end it did get emotional and I found myself finally rooting for Leo, Ffion, and her family. The character arcs are well done, even if delayed, and the many red herrings do keep the story intriguing, even if it's sluggish.

While not one of my favorite mystery/thrillers, it’s still an enjoyable read with a delightful setting. In the end, I think I would be interested to read the next book in this series. I only hope that the plot is a little more fast-paced for the next installment.

I’ve been debating about how I want to rate this one, but I think I’m going to settle with 3 stars (3.5 if it was possible). I was given an e-ARC by the publisher but I was excited enough that I actually decided to buy a physical copy to read. This was my first experience reading from this author, and I do like the writing style in general. I have another book by her I'm reading next so we'll see how it goes!

Absolutely loved the setting of this book - a beautiful lakeside village in rural Wales, right on the English border. I thought the Wales/England conflict was also a nice, accurate touch. So many possible suspects, it was great to be on the edge of my seat wondering who it was right up until the very end. Also, liked Ffion's personal story with her family/sister. Wasn't a huge fan of the male detective and his conflict with his ex-wife - came across a bit misogynistic to me. Was surprised a female author wrote the situation like that. But overall, a decent mystery and a good start to a series. Will definitely be on the lookout for Book #2.